David Barclay Moore
Random House Children’s Books 2017
Reading Level: Z+ 650L
Summary: On Christmas Eve, twelve-year-old Lolly Rachpaul and his mom aren’t gathering around a tree and celebrating. Rather the two are still mourning the death of his older brother who they lost in a gang related shooting just a few months earlier. Later, a friend brings him a gift that would change his life: two enormous bags filled with Legos. Lolly’s always had an affection for Legos, and he is known for following the directions exactly. However, now Lolly is faced with a gigantic pile of building blocks with no directions. Join Lolly as he finds his way and forges his own path battling with tremendous peer pressure. Will Lolly find his own path or join a “crew,” as his brother did? In the end, one thing is for certain, Legos provided Lolly with “An escape—and an unexpected bridge back to the world.”
5 Words to Describe
- Family and Environment
- Relationships
- Grief and Acceptance
- Forgiveness
- Friendship
Online Resources:
Audio Excerpt:
Behind the Scenes with author David Barclay Moore
Life Lessons with the Author a Podcast
Common Core:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2
“Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.”
ELA Teaching Strategies:
Vocab: Before reading the book to students make sure to define vocabulary students may have trouble with:
- Clique: an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
- Cackle: emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
- Regurgitate: repeat after memorization
- Borough: one of the administrative divisions of a large city
- Gripe: complain
Comprehension:
Before Reading:
Host Discussion:
- Look at the cover of the book. What information does it provide you as a reader? How does it make you feel?
- Before turning to the first page of the story, return to the title, the author’s dedication, and Richard Chenevix Trench’s quote. How are these three elements of the book related? What message do they convey? How do they prepare the reader for the story?
During Reading:
Ask students what they think the themes of this book are?
Create a One Sheet book: Each page will have a a possible theme and then the students will take notes while reading the book. Students can also add quotes to their theme pages.
Teachers example
Host a discussion answering the following questions while reading:
- What do you learn about the narrator and his family? Why does Lolly ask, “Who would choose to be gay when they knew it was so much easier to be straight?” How does this question relate to Lolly?
- How does the dynamic between Lolly and Big Rose change throughout the story? What would you say they have in common?
- Why does Lolly find more comfort in building a Lego castle than talking to Mr. Ali?
After Reading:
Read the interview with David Barclay Moore (attached as images below).
Ask students if they would recommend the book to a friend, and create a book review that the students will share with the whole school.
Create a flip book that examine the types of themes:
Ms. Stokes’ Book Nook 
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